Acceptance & Commitment Therapy for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Trauma-Related Problems

Description

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) offers a promising, empirically validated approach to the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma related problems. In this volume, you'll find a complete theoretical and practical guide to making this revolutionary new model work in your practice. After a quick overview of PTSD, the first part of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Trauma-Related Problems explains the problem of experiential avoidance as it relates to trauma and explores the verbal nature of post-traumatic stress. You'll learn the importance of mindfulness and acceptance in the ACT model, find out how to structure sessions with your clients, and examine the problem of control. The section concludes by introducing you to the idea of creative hopelessness as the starting point for creating a new, workable life after trauma. The book's second section offers a practical, step-by-step clinical guide to the six core ACT components in chronological order: Creative hopelessnessThe problem of controlWillingness and defusionSelf-as-contextValued livingCommitted action Each chapter explains how to introduce these topics to clients suffering from PTSD, illustrates each with case examples, and offers homework for your clients to use between sessions.

Robyn D. Walser, PhD, is associate director of the National Center for PTSD Dissemination and Training Division, and associate clinical professor in the department of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley. As a licensed clinical psychologist, she maintains an international training, consulting, and therapy practice. Walser is developing innovative ways to translate science into practice, and is responsible for the dissemination of state-of-the-art knowledge and treatment interventions. Walser has coauthored three books, including Learning ACT, The Mindful Couple, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Trauma-Related Problems. Darrah Westrup, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist practicing in Colorado and California with an established reputation for her work as a therapist, program director, trainer, researcher, and consultant to practitioners at various firms and organizations. She is a recognized authority on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and has conducted numerous presentations and trainings at international, national, and local conferences, seminars, and workshops. She currently serves as an expert ACT consultant for the VA-wide evidence-based treatment rollout of ACT for depression, and has coauthored two books on ACT: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Trauma-Related Problems and The Mindful Couple. Steven C. Hayes, PhD, is Nevada Foundation Professor and director of clinical training in the department of psychology at the University of Nevada. An author of forty-one books and nearly 600 scientific articles, his career has focused on analysis of the nature of human language and cognition, and its application to the understanding and alleviation of human suffering and promotion of human prosperity. Among other associations, Hayes has been president of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science. His work has received several awards, including the Impact of Science on Application Award from the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.

This outstanding book offers clinicians a clear understanding of the traps of language and the paradoxical implications of trying to control our internal experiences. The authors bring years of experience working with survivors of trauma and a comprehensive grasp of their topic to this lucid explanation of acceptance and commitment therapy. Each of the treatment components is presented clearly and succinctly, yet integrated into a comprehensive whole. Illustrative case examples and session transcripts offer a vivid picture of the ACT approach. -Chad LeJeune, Ph.D., author of The Worry Trap: How to Free Yourself from Worry and Anxiety Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy